This was not the way I expected the final chapter of the Josh Shaw saga to play out.

I’m glad I was wrong.

The USC cornerback’s punishment – missing almost his entire senior season – never fit his crime. Not that he ever committed one, at least in the eyes of the law. Shaw never was arrested. He never was charged.

Something happened between Shaw and his girlfriend that night. His reaction in its aftermath was panicky, misguided and ultimately self-destructive. He has served his time, and then some. Now it’s back to football.

Whether he’ll be fit enough to play Saturday against UCLA remains to be seen. It’s foolish to think he instantly can be reinserted into the lineup. He’s not a plug-and-play device. Shaw hasn’t practiced for almost three months. These things take time.

But no matter how much he plays this week, against Notre Dame or in the postseason, it’s unquestionably a positive development for both the player and the program. Shaw gets a chance to redeem himself to his teammates and put himself on film for the NFL. The Trojans get an experienced player who can help them, whether in the secondary, on special teams or just by being around.

As recently as late last week, I didn’t think it was going to happen. I called the LAPD on Thursday afternoon. I was told some information on the Shaw case would come out “pretty soon.” Given the glacial pace at which the case was preceding, I didn’t get my hopes up.

Still, I decided to check with some USC sources to see if I could determine a timeline. I was told that the school would not commence its investigation of Shaw until the police had finished their business. I figured that would take weeks. The best-case scenario seemed to be USC’s yet-to-be-determined bowl game.

It turned out that I had incomplete information. USC already had looked into certain aspects of the Shaw situation – those references AD Pat Haden made to “athletic-department code of conduct and potential NCAA compliance issues.” That would explain the quicker-than-expected turnaround from Shaw not being charged to him being reinstated.

Shaw won’t be available to talk to the media. We’ll ask his teammates about him. But I’m guessing they’ll be happy to welcome back one of their own.

Sarkisian described Shaw’s feelings during “Trojans Live!” on The Beast 980 Tuesday evening:

“I think there’s a sense of relief. You’ve got to remember, (he) grew up in Southern California, went to the University of Florida, decides to transfer to USC, becomes a really integral part of the program, is just fantastic in the community, great in the classroom, gets elected captain his senior year, makes a really horrible mistake and then, boom, it’s gone. And then to think, ‘Man, I have a chance to play my last couple games my senior year against our two rivals, UCLA and Notre Dame,’ I think he’s just really thankful more than anything else.”

Sarkisian said Shaw would be stripped of his captain’s “C.”

“He understands,” Sarkisian said. “Part of being a captain here at USC is doing things right and doing it right all the time. Being a Trojan is an all-the-time thing, it’s not a sometimes thing. That doesn’t mean that when we make mistakes we can’t help guys and educate them and continue to develop them.”

Shaw made a mistake. Several, actually. He paid a steep price. Now he finally can turn the page.